St. Peter Church
Ann-Katherine Hailey
I went to St. Benedict High School and attended OLPH youth group. My junior year, I went on the SEARCH retreat and continued to be involved on team until I graduated. The SEARCH program played a major part in the development of my Catholic faith on a more personal level, and it introduced me to great Catholic friends who are still in my life today! I then went off to the University of Georgia, where I joined the CORE team for a high school youth group at St. Joseph's Catholic Church. I graduated from UGA with a degree in Child and Family Development and will begin a Master's of Social Work program at the University of Memphis this fall.
John Stukenborg
As a cradle Catholic, I often take for granted the beauty of our faith. From St. Louis to CBHS, I went through Catholic education up until college at Mississippi State (Go Dawgs). I was very involved in the QUEST and SEARCH retreats here in Memphis throughout high school. As a former Diocesan Youth Representative for Memphis, I have seen what it takes to plan events for the youth and what gets them excited to learn and grow in their faith. At Mississippi State, I studied Biology, graduated this past spring, and now work at St. Jude in the Pharmaceutical Sciences department doing research on patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. I was very involved in our Catholic Student Association in college and played with the youth choir. It is so important to make our faith relevant outside of Sunday Mass, and I am looking forward to sharing the light of Christ to the youth of St. Peter's
Brad Melancon and Alayne White Melancon
We both graduated from Mississippi State University where we met on a mission trip and have been together pretty much ever since. We like to think that our faith is what led us to each other, and so we have worked hard to keep it the absolute center of our relationship. Our high school experiences in youth group were different yet both amazing, and it is our hope that we can give St. Peter's teens similar stories to share. Brad is from Memphis and is a "cradle" Catholic who grew up with Catholic schools and youth groups. Alayne is from Long Beach, MS and converted to Catholicism as a sophomore in high school--which is a different story for a different day. So we are both fairly new to St. Peter's parish and cannot wait to meet everyone in our new faith family! Please pray for our youth!
David Latta
Before attending St. Peter's I was at I.C. where I helped start and run their youth group. I have been an altar server for almost ten years, and through that I have discovered what it means to be Catholic. My hope is that through my example and teaching, our youth will deepen their understanding and appreciation for the power of the Mass and Christ in our daily lives. I graduated from CBHS, and am now attending the University of Memphis.
Heather Cohen
My journey in faith started at a young age and continued throughout the years. The single most profound step I took in my journey was being active in St. Thomas's youth group in high school. Our youth leaders challenged us in many ways to learn how to grow closer in our faith. The experiences I have taken away from my youth group have formed the basis of my life-long quest to know, to love, and to serve our Heavenly Father. My hopes are to help guide our youth at St. Peter's along the same path of discovering the true potential of their faith. I am from the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, went to Ole Miss to get my undergrad degree in Biochemistry/Math, and am currently in school here in Memphis.
Susan Evans
For me, growing up Catholic meant going to church and CCD every Sunday... and that was it. Period! I was definitely a passive follower. It wasn't until midway through college that I realized I need to read more, pray more, and do more to truly BE a Christian and Catholic. I hope to help the youth at St. Peter realize (at an earlier age than I did) that it's important to play an active role in your relationship with God and the Catholic Church. I also currently help to lead the Young Adults Group at St. Peter and am a third year student at Southern College of Optometry, here in Memphis!
Devan Langston
I attended St. Agnes for high school. This is where I discovered I wanted to become Catholic. I am currently attending RCIA classes at St. Peters. I have always had a passion for working with kids, and I have always been active in youth group. I am hoping that by getting involved in helping the youth not only will I help them further their faith, but I can also learn more about what it means to be Catholic.
J.D. Elder
I grew up in Nashville attending Catholic school from 4th grade through high school at Father Ryan. After that I was off to Knoxville for college at UT. I became very active in the Catholic Student Association and the college SEARCH program, serving as a leader 3 times. I also helped form a new youth group at the University Parish, John XXIII. After graduating in 2008, I moved to Memphis to take a job with MLGW. I was very happy to see all the opportunities to grow in my faith that St. Peter's offered. When I found out that the youth group needed help, I knew God was calling me to serve.
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